But the 26-year-old is also keeping a toe in the F1 waters, attending the recent Monaco Grand Prix and then testing a Formula One Ferrari car at Fiorano in preparation for a demonstration event in Russia next month.

"I will also have a chance to test the simulator in the near future," said Kobayashi.

"Personally speaking, I want to come back to Formula One next year," he added.

If his mission fails, however, Kobayashi is vowing to repay all of the money pledged by his fans to add to his sponsor offerings to a potential F1 employer.

He said the money raised so far is still in the bank.

"This (money) was purely for a F1 seat," said Kobayashi. "And if I don't need to use it for next year's F1 seat, I want to return it all to whoever made the donations."